Like Brother Like Sister
by LittleJerseyanNinja
Summary: Samantha Hawthorne knew Gale couldn't be her real dad. Her real father was kept from her, along with her brother. Then she gets reaped, and meets her brother, not knowing they're related. The Gamemakers work to keep the twins apart in the arena. Her brother is almost dead, and she's being hunted. Can Sami save her brother and make it out alive? Or will they both die?
1. Reaped

*Sami's POV*

Reaping Day. That's today. When a boy and girl from each district are chosen to fight to the death.

My name is Samantha Hawthorne. I am 12 years old. I live in District 11. I know nothing of my early childhood. I don't entirely believe that Gale Hawthorne is my father, and I don't love him as a father. I don't love him at all. Katniss Hawthorne is my mother, her maiden name being Everdeen. They say I'm the second-oldest, which is true, I have a brother and a sister, and mom is pregnant. For some reason, Dad hates Peeta Mellark, and his son, Luke Mellark. I don't know who they are, but I know that Peeta won the 74th Hunger Games with my mom.

As I rise early and go down to the shop, the Hunting shop, I flip the _Closed _sign to _Open._ Then, mom comes down. Her brown hair is a mess, she has cuts all over her arms and legs and bruises on her face. I rush to her just before she collapses

Normally, she says to not worry if she looks hurt, that she just had an accident with the knife. But I know this was no 'accident'. She had been in her and dad's bedroom, but there couldn't have been a knife in there! The cuts are fresh and the blood is warm. She told me that before she was pregnant, and she's pregnant now! Of course I would worry. "Why would he do this to you? Why!?" I say, almost yelling. "I know Dad's been doing this to you! Why the hell would he!?" "I-I'm fine, Sami. Go eat breakfast and get ready for the reaping" she says. I scowl and go wash up. I put on a small white dress and I braid my bangs, then pull them back and tie the two mini braids together.

Our escort, Banda Trays, greets us, then goes to the pink tinted glass bowl with the girl's names. I bite my lip.

"Samantha Hawthorne!"

I shake. A boy next to me catches me. I steady myself and walk to the stage, and stand next to Banda. Then, she calls the boys. "Matthew Crater!" I don't know who he is, but I've seen him in my class. He has black hair and hollow eyes.

We go into the Justice Building and wait for visitors. Mom and Dad come in with Andrew and Charlie. Charlie climbs on my lap and Andrew sits next to me. "You can win, Rosie" Charlie says. "Yeah, you're skilled" Andrew says. "Thanks" I whisper. "You'll do fine, honey" says Mom, kissing me on the cheek. The three minutes are up, and my friends come in.

"Hey"

"Hey"

"We want you to know something. To keep you alive in the arena."

"What?"

"You're a combo between your parents. You have your mom's hair, your father's eyes. You're mom's fight, your dad's passion."

The three minutes are up and my friends leave me on the velvet couch, confused. My eyes are blue. I do have mom's hair. Dad's eyes are GREY! Mine are BLUE! It's two totally different colors!

Oh well.

As we get on the train, I go to watch the tapings of the reapings in the other districts. I pay attention to District 12, where Mom and Dad were born in. The girl's name is called. Glimmer Stakes. And then the boy.

Luke Mellark.


	2. Allies and Interviews

*Luke's POV*

Great. I'm going to die here.

As I watch the tapes of the reapings, the girl from District 7 gets my attention. Samantha Hawthorne. Hm. Hawthorne sticks in my head. She's beautiful. Then her eyes draw my attention. They're sea-blue, and they look just like Dad's. They have a mix of excitement, horror, and curiousness. Hope rises in me.

An alliance?

Maybe. She looks reasonable. I'll have time in training to talk to her. Oh great. The thought makes my insides churn.

_What if she hates me?_

_What if she singles me out first as an easy target?_

_What if…_

I could list more, but my mind can't think of what could happen. So, I take some paper and a pencil. Hey, call me desperate, but who WOULD want to get killed in the Arena?

_Ways to Form an Alliance_

"_Hey, Samantha, I thought, maybe we could have an alliance in the arena, kill off others."_

"_Hey, Samantha, wanna make an alliance? Help each other in the arena?"_

"_Hi, I'm Luke. I thought we could be allies. Want to?"_

Right now, the third one is my favorite. It's short but memorable.

As we pull into the Capitol, all my mind is set on is just getting to training and meeting Samantha.

When we get to training, I feel energized. I thought of a plan last night. Show off a bit, try to get her attention, get her to see me as a possible ally. I go to spear-throwing. Samantha and what seems to be her friends get in line behind me. I pick up a spear. I aim, and hit right on target. Straight on the target. I almost gasp at my own work, but I contain myself so they think I'm professional.

Then it's archery. Her parents are Katniss and Gale Hawthorne, and they're famous for hunting and Katniss being a victor. They own a secret hunting shop in District 7. I hear one of her friends say, "Hey, Sami, let's do archery. I need a little bit of practice" and Samantha agreeing. I hear footsteps behind me and I take a breath. I pull the string back and fire. The arrow lands a few inches from the target. I settle the bow back down, and walk away, but turn to watch Samantha.

She's directly on target. Perfect aim. It even goes deep into the target.

They head over to climbing the rope ladder. I watch as they struggle a bit, then climb with no problem. I try next, and end up falling on my back half-way up. Samantha is already at swords. I try once, and the girl from District 6, one of Samantha's friends, trips my feet with the sword and I fall.

This is hard.

Finally, while Samantha is alone at fire-starting, I go up to her. Her friends are over at knot-tying. "Hi" I say. It's stupid, but my dad said even a simple hello can get you an ally. "Hi" she says back, concentrating on the little embers starting to glow. Soon smoke starts. "My name's Luke" I say. She looks up. "Mellark?" she asks. I nod. "Samantha Hawthorne. My friends call me Sami" she says. "Wanna be allies? You're really good at weapons and I don't think I could last even two days" I say. She thinks about it for a minute. "Sure. You're good with spears. I saw you at the Gathering station. You know good berries. And you can tell nightlock from blue berries. That sort of thing can save your life" she says. I take it as a compliment.

Sami shows me all sort of things, like roots, camouflage, and how to skin animals. I notice people staring at us. "People are staring" I whisper. "No big deal. Not surprised they are. That always happens when alliances are formed at training. Mostly jealous people" she says. Right. Now I get it. People are wondering why a weak little Mellark boy is allies with a strong, valiant Hawthorne girl.

People assume Mellarks are weak because when dad and Mrs. Hawthorne were in the arena together, Katniss did most of the work. She hunted and got food and parachutes while dad got nothing from their mentor and only followed along. That affects me a lot.

I notice Sami staring at me. "What?" I ask. She shrugs. "You have the same eyes as my mother" she says. I smile.

We're being interviewed now, and Sami is up. Caesar greets her.

"Samantha, tell me. You've watched your mother's Hunger Games?"

Sami nods.

"What can you determine about this year, seeing the competition?"

"Well, I'm thinking that it would be tough. Everyone seems very strong and determined to win. But honestly, I think that everyone just wants to go home- just like me. Mom told me, before the reaping, that if you're in the Arena, you kill, then become Victor, there's gonna be a feeling of guilt, for the lives you took. But it'll already be done. It'll be over."

Caesar is silent for a minute, thinking about the words.

"Your mother is very wise."

"And a wonderful mother. I couldn't love her more."

"Will you have the same fire Katniss had?"

"I'm hoping. But we're not just kids. To anyone else, we're just children who know nothing of the world. But look at the victors, look at the horrors we've seen, either on-screen or in person. We know that the world is big, and that we are going to have to live in it."

Her time is up and she walks off, just as she finishes her words. I'm not going to write about the other interviews because they're rather boring and not at all relevant to this story.

*Sami's POV*

I wait for Chloe's interview to be done. River, Chloe and Alayna are my friends. River is from District 9. She's good at hand-to-hand combat. Chloe is from District 3. Alayna is her distance cousin, and the District 6 tribute. She's good with swords.

Chloe comes back, and we walk up the stairs. We seperate to go to our floors, and I head to my room. Peeling off the gold, simple dress with fancy decorations like swirls, I pulled on a comfortable green shirt and soft cotton black pants. I take my hair out of it's tight bun, and put it in a braid over my shoulder. There. That feels more natural.

I slip on brown slippers and go out to eat dinner. Matthew is already seated, along with our mentor, Christopher, and Banda. As I pile food on my plate, my mind flashes to my family.

I wonder how mom is doing. She was about 3 months along. I'm honestly hoping it's a girl.

My siblings would no doubt be worried. They always are when it comes to serious things.

Sighing, I quickly ate. Then went back to my room for sleep. As my sleep slowly overtook me, I heard my mother's voice, calling me by my nickname. "Rosie..."

Rosie was my nickname. I loved the red roses...


	3. The Letter

*Samantha's POV*

As we get our trackers on the Hovercraft, I look over at Luke. The blood has drained from his face as we start to touch down. I give him a reassuring look, and he relaxes.

The pedestals go up and the clock counts down. We all sprint into the bloodbath.

I grab a bow and arrows, requiring that I jab a girl in the stomach to get it. I also get a couple of throwing knives. I see Roman, the boy from District 2, stabbing the girl from District 5 multiple times. I grab a spear and throw it at the boy from District 3. I run to the woods as quickly as I can, and then see Luke and River running to another part of the woods. I follow and Chloe and Alayna are waiting. "Come on, let's go" I say, and we take off running.

*Luke's POV*

We pitch up camp about 100 or 200 feet away from the Cornucopia. We find a giant willow and we set some sleeping bags on the large branches. Sami and Alayna go out to hunt along our camp for dinner and me and Chloe make a fire pit. We make a few embers but not a blazing fire. As Sami and Alayna come back with some squirrels and rabbits, we see an orange flame in the distance. It gets bigger and bigger. Then I see her face. It's Robin, from District 5.

*Robin's POV*

I didn't think lighting a small fire could be so harmful. I rub my hands together and breathe on them to get warm. Then I hear leaves and branches near me. I look up and see the Careers. "Please- don't kill me!" I beg, but they kill me. I have a little time to scream loudly as the sword plunges into me.

*Samantha's POV*

The bloodcurdling scream startles us all. I knew it. They'd find us. I stand up, stomp out the embers and hurry everyone in the tree. The Careers stop under our tree. "I'm sure she was here, there's a fire pit" says Glimmer. I hear Luke about to sneeze, and I'm too late. He sneezes and the Careers see us. We all fall out of the willow and I shoot an arrow at them. Clang falls. Then Root. I scramble to stand upright, and drop my bow in the process. Suddenly I feel someone kick me in the gut. I double over and moan. I look up and see Chloe jam a knife into the boy's chest, and twist it. I stumble to my feet.

*Katniss's POV*

I feel scared as the Careers near Sami's camp, the girl starting the fire, the same things happened to me. Then Luke sneezes, and I feel even more scared. Gale puts a hand on my shoulder, and I realize I've been trembling.

"It's okay, Catnip. They won't kill her" he says.  
"I hope so" I say.

*Peeta's POV*  
I feel worried when the Careers come into the picture. Luke's all I had left after Katniss left. With the Careers here, I was in danger of losing my son. And daughter.

A month after Samantha and Luke were born (Luke was twenty minutes after Samantha) Katniss and I started to fight a lot. She was so mad she demanded a divorce and I was so angry I agreed. Then she moved out and I realized what I had just agreed to.  
I felt so mad at myself that I tried to go to Katniss a year later and ask for her to forgive me. But she had married _Gale_. So I tried to at least ask for her forgiveness for being such an idiot and to be friends, but Gale stopped me and told me to stay away from her.  
I tried to explain to him that it was something personal and I just wanted to talk to Katniss for a minute. He still refused to let me in, and threatened to kill me if he ever saw me and Katniss near each other, AKA in the same room, in a close distance to each other, like 5 feet away. Even in public.  
So when it came to custody for Sami and Luke, Gale tried to convince Katniss to get both of them, but she admitted it wouldn't be fair. So I got Luke and she got Sami. Before Gale was able to take Sami from the room to District 8, when she was 3 years old, I gave her a light blue envelope and told her to not let Gale take it and to hide it in her pocket. She was to open it if she ever got reaped. It would explain everything.

*Samantha's POV*

Alayna grabs my arm and we turn to run. When we're no longer in danger of the Careers, I put my hand in my pocket. I feel a small envelope and take it out. I turn it over in my hands. I put it back in my pocket. Maybe Achilles, my stylist, put it in. Chloe hands me the bow I dropped. I smile and put it with the quiver. Hours pass then, and there's a sense of security. Everyone's asleep. The envelope is light blue and is sealed. I ripped it open and read.

_Dear Samantha,_

_I only had a few minutes to give you this before Gale took you. You were 3 years old when I gave this note to you. I am your real father, and I'll explain._

_A month after you and Luke were born, Katniss and I started fighting. Then she wanted a divorce, and being an idiot, I agreed. A year later when I decided to apologize and ask for her forgiveness, I found out she had married Gale. Then when it came to custody, Gale wanted both of you but instead I got Luke and she got you. Gale wouldn't ever let me talk to your mother and threatened to kill me if he saw us together. And it might amuse you that you are older than Luke by twenty minutes, so technically you are his older sister, and he's your *cough* little brother *cough*. Gale threatened Katniss so she wouldn't ever talk about me or Luke because he hates me for taking Katniss from him. You're my daughter and I love you as much as I love Luke._

_-Peeta_

I stare at the paper and memories suddenly fill my mind. Me sitting in a chair, a man with blond hair and blue eyes like mine, who I called Daddy, giving me a light blue envelope and telling me to open it if I got 'reaped'. Me agreeing and putting it in my jacket pocket, then a strange man coming and picking me up, saying something to my father, and me starting to cry when the man walked away with me in his arms, away from my Daddy. Then later, me in a house I didn't recognize and my mommy trying to calm me down, which failed and made me more miserable. The man saying he's my father and me knowing it's a lie. Me waking up with nightmares of that morning again and again without fail.

It's all clear now. Every inch of my life is flooding into my mind at once, images of me and my twin brother, my father and mother, then one night, me hiding around a corner while I should be in bed, mom and dad screaming at each other about something I can't understand. Then I get tired of it and run up the stairs, loud enough so they hear me and slam the door, and the yelling ceases for a second. Then it starts again, and I go to bed, crying.

Is this really my life?


	4. Blood

**Yes! It's me! Finally!**

**I know! I'm a jerk for not updating in so long! Months!**

**But I give you all permission to throw rocks and spears at me!**

**Just for you, I've tried to put action into this. And this won't be as long as the others, but I'm trying!**

*Sami's POV*

"Sami."

"Sami. Wake up!"

"Samantha!"

I jerk awake. 4 faces are looking into mine. I let out a yell of surprise. They burst into laughter. I scowl and stand up, stretching.

"I hate you all," I mumbled as we pulled our packs on our backs.

"Love you too, Sam," River teased as we started walking.

We're not going anywhere particular, but I'm hoping to get closer to a body of water. I think I passed a pool of it.

Basically, the Arena this year is a desert ruin with forests surrounding it. It's very random and even now, I don't understand it.

It's 5 minutes until we find one. We drop our packs, and run to it. We plunge our faces into the cool liquid and scrub our faces with it, finally getting refreshed. The dirt washes off immediatley.

Suddenly, there's yelling. Chloe reaches for her spear and my bow plus quiver is thrown to me. Luke and Alayna have swords drawn, and River has her sharp knife.

The Careers! How did they track us!?

Geon lunges at me. I sidestep her. She throws a punch, and I block it by pushing it firmly to the side with a parry. I sweep her feet out and she slips. I kick her in the stomach. She grabs my ankle and slices a deep gash across it. I scream and kick at her again. She refuses to let go and yanks me to the ground. I gasp and suddenly another sharp pain is in my back. My fingers curl in the dirt. Then Geon screams. I look back, and Luke's spear is in her back, Luke holding the end of it. He helps me up and we assist in the fight.

It's within an hour at least until the Careers finally leave. We're all breathing heavily. Suddenly there's a churning pain in my stomach. I hug myself tightly as I slip to my knees. Then, I throw up.

"Is that... _Blood?" _Luke asks. Chloe gently rubs circles on my back as I throw up a whole pint of blood.

"Yes." River's calm response got her a confused look from Luke.

Chloe and Alayna help me to my feet. I pull the bow over my shoulder again and River helps me walk.

We managed to set up a camp. I can only think about how badly my belly hurts right now. It feels like a thousand pins are piercing my skin.


End file.
